Biography
Mumbi Kaigwa is an actor, writer, producer and director of theatre, film and TV. She first appeared in a television production of Wole Soyinka's "The Strong Breed" at 10 years old.
Between 1988 to 1999, Mumbi worked for the United Nations in Nairobi. Since 2000 she's devoted her life to the arts, working all over East Africa and using her original blend of performance art to address social themes, such as conflict and violence, health and drugs, history and culture, as well as conducting community-driven peace-building and conflict resolution workshops throughout Kenya and in Tanzania.
Mumbi is an associate member of the League of Professional Theatre Women (New York), and sat on the board of Mira Nair's Maisha Film Lab in Uganda during its inception. She is also a Sundance Theatre Lab alumna (2007 Utah, USA and 2011 Lamu, Kenya).
In 2014 she received a number of awards from CEO (South Africa) Magazine, including a Lifetime Achievement Award for her contribution to Arts and Culture on the African continent.
In 2016 and 2017, she received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Ministry of Culture, Cairo, Egypt, and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Tunis, Tunisia, respectively.
Her plays include They Call Me Wanjiku (about the importance of names); Hot & Safe; Cold & Dangerous (about positive living with HIV/AIDS); KigeziNdoto: A Hook for Dreams (about Africa's historical legacy); and The Voice of a Dream (about the importance of following our dreams). These works have been presented in Africa, Europe, Asia, Canada, and the USA.
Her most recent play, Orchid was written in 2016, on commission by the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, UK, and deals with the medical issue of obstetric fistula. Orchid was recently performed at the WHO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and will have global performances, including Eldoret, Kenya and Santiago, Chile in 2018.
Her films (in progress) include A Day In The Life documentaries about a Nairobi-based flower-seller, and US-based fashion designer Tereneh Mosley's collaborative work with Maasai artisans in Olorgesailie in Kenya.
Mumbi has also appeared in films and television productions, such as Asha, The Knife Grinder's Tale, The Constant Gardener, The First Grader, Neighbours, and the Kenyan political thriller, The System.
